Movie Marathon Time Calculator
Plan a film marathon: total running time for a stack of movies, your own list of runtimes or a classic franchise, with breaks, a meal break and trailers included, the clock time you finish, the latest start to finish by bedtime, a film-by-film schedule and a split over several days.
How it works
Total = sum of film lengths (films × average length, or your list) + extras per film × films + (films − 1) × break, with the meal break replacing one break · Finish = start time + total · Latest start = finish-by time − total
Franchise marathons are longer than they feel: six films averaging 128 minutes is nearly 13 hours before anyone stands up. The calculator adds up the films — as a count and an average length, as your own list of runtimes, or from a built-in franchise — then the breaks between them, an optional meal break, and extra minutes per film for trailers or intros (or fewer, if you skip the credits). It gives the total, the clock time you finish, and a schedule showing when each film starts and ends. Turn on planning backwards to find the latest start time that still finishes by bedtime, or set a limit on hours per day to split a long saga over a weekend; each day then starts at your start time.
Worked example
6 films × 128 min = 768 min, plus 5 breaks of 15 min = 75 min, gives 843 min, or 14 h 3 min. Starting at 10:00 you finish at 00:03 the next day. The Lord of the Rings extended editions (228 + 235 + 263 = 726 min) with two 15-minute breaks take 12 h 36 min; to finish by 23:00, start no later than 10:24. With at most 8 hours a day, Harry Potter’s eight films (19 h 39 min of film) fill three days.
Frequently asked questions
How long are the big franchises?
In theatrical cuts, The Lord of the Rings is about 9 h 18 min (12 h 6 min extended), Harry Potter about 19 h 39 min and the nine-film Star Wars saga about 20 h 26 min, before breaks. Choose one from the Films list to see its full schedule.
Should I add trailers and ads?
At home, no. In a cinema, screenings add about 15–25 minutes of ads and trailers per film; enter that under “Extra minutes per film”. A negative number lets you skip the credits instead.
How do I enter my own films?
Choose “My own list of runtimes” and write one film per line, as 2:32, 2h 32m, 152 min or just 152. You can put the title first, and the schedule will use it.
What time should I start?
Turn on “Plan backwards from a finish time” under More options and enter when you want to be done. The calculator subtracts the whole marathon, breaks included, and shows the latest start time.
Can I spread it over several days?
Yes. Set “Most hours to watch per day”, for example 6. Whole films are kept together, each day starts at your start time, and the schedule gains a Day column.
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